Junghans and Zentra

Document of a collaboration

This Junghans Vintage watch with the Junghans caliber Junghans J81; Junghans 681.70 presented today is a beautiful specimen of cooperation with ZentRa and Junghans.

United on a dial

Junghans J81 Zentra; Front without glas

The ZentRa that originally bore the trademark "Centra" (Central Association of the German watchmaker), was founded in 1928 by Albert Kratz as a trading house and was a purchasing cooperative that supplied the individual retailers with high quality and peer-reviewed watches by the ZentRa at fair prices. As an initial club the members were supplied with large clocks, with alarm clocks and wristwatches. Especially in the 30s and 40s of the last century the hallmark of ZentRa was found in every major city in Germany on the watch stores. Main competitor and similarly oriented was the cooperative DUGENA.

Among many other calibers the ZentRa also sold watches of PUW (Pforzheimer Uhren-Rohwerke GmbH) and of course, no way passed at Germany's largest watchmaker - Junghans.

Some companies wanted a double signature on the dial. In the "Deutsche Uhrmacher-Zeitung" of 1939 (No. 31, page 451), the ZentRa Reichstag decided that the Trademark and the brand should no longer be in common. This watch with the caliber J81 must therefore have been produced before 1939.

Junghans J81 Zentra; case back inside

Junghans J81 Zentra; back

Junghans J81 Zentra; movement

Not only small watch dealer belonged to ZentRa but also some large, traditional watch wholesalers as Dohrmann, Stüwen & Spann and the Cologne company Gerl & Schipper.

The hallmark of Gerl & Schipper, NWOS, with diamond and compass to see on the inside of the bottom of the case back.

Example of collaboration with identifying mark

Often the dials without brand names or marks have been put on the market. At this watch from the collection Bütow the dial has been printed with the brand name of the company Junghans which was the actual movement manufacturer. On the movement, however, the ZentRa has engraved its own caliber designation (Zentra 637).